David Russell heads the Responsible Investment (RI) Team of USS Investment Management, the fund manager for Universities Superannuation Scheme, where he has worked since 2001. USS is one of the largest pension funds in the United Kingdom, with total fund assets of £90.8 billion (as at 31 March 2022) and more than 500,000 members across 330 institutions. USS has a RI team of seven and a RI strategy which focuses on integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into its investment processes across asset classes (including private assets), and on engaging with public equities and other assets where these issues pose a risk to the fund’s investments.

David is a former Board member of the UNPRI Association and is currently a member of the PRI Asset Owner Advisory Committee. He is an advisor to the Board of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), which USS set up in 2001, and on the Board of the International Centre for Pensions Management, the UK Investment Associations’ Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee, and the FTSE Russell Sustainable Investment Technical and Sustainable Investment Strategic Advisory Committees. He is also a founding Board member of the Transition Pathway Initiative.

David has previously worked as an Environmental Manager for a UK retail company, and was for five years a University lecturer in Environmental Management. He has a Masters Degree in Environmental Impact Assessment.